**Ok so I keep slacking on the updates, there is not much new every day so I am probably not going to post EVERY day anymore...  The babies are doing great and we thank God every day that they get better and better!!! 

Jace- He gained weight again and now weighs 5lbs 5oz! He is slowly catching up to his brother and its getting harder and harder to tell them apart! In person you can tell but in pictures sometimes I cant even tell you who is who I have to look at the background to find out where I was sitting or what side of the crib I was on! lol Its going to be interesting when we get home! Jace is still on room air and doing great, he is drinking his bottles better and better, he is drinking 45ml,  so now we just have to get off the caffeine and pray that he does well without it! The nurses and Dr.s still wont give us an estimate of when they will come home...

Liam-He gained last night only 20 grams so he now weighs 6lbs 2oz...He is also on room air and doing great! He is getting better and better with his feedings as well, both boys breast fed yesterday and I was so excited! It will make things a lot easier once we all get home if they can do that! They both went down to 22 calorie fortifier I think I posted that yesterday...Liam is drinking 50ml every bottle now.  Here are some pictures of the boys I took yesterday, every day I go to visit them I want to cry because I am just SO amazed at how great they look, they have come so far and we love them SO much! ;)

Ok its not letting me upload pictures so I will try later....

Stella- She is doing great and sleeps a lot!  =)

October 29th

***Ok so I forgot to post yesterday sorry for those of you who care =) Babies are growing and getting healthier as the days go by! 

Jace- Is now 5lbs 3oz! He is still off the oxygen and is drinking most of his bottles without having any desaturations and his lungs are getting stonger and stronger. His feedings went up to 45ml of milk and there fortifier went down to 22 calories because they are gaining so good! 

Liam- Is now 6lbs 3oz! He is also still off the oxygen and is also drinking his bottles but they are putting whatever the boys dont finish down there feeding tubes. He is now drinking 50ml of breast milk with the 22 calories of fortifier. 

Stella- I wish I knew her weight, next week is her Dr. appointment and I will find out then! She is drinking more and more as well and having so much fun at home! This morning we played dress up with some of her clothes and bows and hats, it was a lot of fun! Well I guess it was more fun for me than her, lol 

***I promise I will try to get some new photos up here, I have a lot of Stella and I am taking a whole bag of new clothes to the NICU tomorrow so I will take pics of the boys as well! =) 

2 months old!!! October 26th

**Today the babies turned 2 months old! I cant believe how fast time has gone by and at the same time how much has happened in the last 2 months! God has truly blessed us!

Jace- Keeps gaining weight and is now 5lbs! They took him off the cannula this morning at 4am and has been off ever since! He is doing really well and there goal is to keep him off of it...he is still on caffeine so coming off of that will be another challenge but we will worry about that when it gets here....the nurse said that she fed him the bottle tonight and he never had 1 desaturation while she was feeding him! He needs to work on his bottle skills and come off of the caffeine and then he will be closer to coming home, but he is doing amazing!

Liam- Also keeps gaining weight and I think might be bigger than Stella now, he weighs 5lbs 15oz! He has been off the caffeine for over a week and a half so hes already learning to do this all on his own. He had some desaturations while they bottle fed him but he gets right back up by himself and they never had to turn the oxygen up....if he can mature a little in his breathing pattern and get his bottle feedings going than it wont be long till Liam can come home!

Stella- We are having so much fun with her and never thought it would be this long that we would have her home without the boys, we cant wait to have them all together...the nights are very easy now with only one baby and cant imagine adding two more in! Tonight I had Stella in our bed in the inclined to sleep thing that she lays in to help her with her acid reflux, I went to go get something and heard her making some noise and I came back and she had somehow wiggled herself up and out of the sleeper and her feet were up in the air, I wish I would have taken a  picture it was SO funny! I am sure there will be many more funny times like this ahead x 3!!!

October 24th...

***All the babies are making progress, they are all growing like crazy and getting better day by day! It is only a matter of time for the boys to come home depending on how there lungs do...we are praying that the time is soon! We are so ready to be home in the same house and start our lives!

Jace- Gained weight tonight and now weighs 4lbs 13oz! He is on 1/32nd liter of oxygen and doing good...Hes getting 40ml of food still and still on the fortifier.

Liam- Also gained weight and now weighs 5lbs 13oz! He is also on the 1/32nd liter of oxygen...Hes getting 48ml of food and also still getting the fortifier.            

Stella- Is doing really good! Shes eating between 50-60mls a day. She is missing her brothers and ready for them to come home! =)

Saturday October 23rd...

Jace- Gained weight again, he now weighs 4lbs 11oz! He is doing great drinking his bottles the nurse just told me she thinks he could drink all his bottles plus more if she would let him but doesnt want him to burn too many calories, he wants to come home! hopefully just not on oxygen, she also said she had lifted the head of there bed and they had been having less desats, the nurses think that acid reflux is the reason for most there problems! =( He is still getting 40ml of breast milk and 24 calories of fortifier. He is on 1/32nd of oxygen...the nurse tried taking him off again and he lasts a little while and needed it again.

Liam- Gained again also and now weighs 5lbs 11oz! He is drinking 48ml of breast milk and 24 calories of fortifier. He is also on 1/32nd of oxygen. He is getting so big he even has a double chin! It is the cutest thing!

Stella- Is still doing great, she just drank 67ml of breast milk for me, shes still not loving breast feeding so we just practice a couple times a day and end up giving her the bottle. She loves her pacifier, not sure if thats a good thing but it is so cute!? lol I think she would suck her thumb if she could but she can never seem to find it I see her trying to put her whole hand in her mouth =) We are trying to introduce to her new bottles and see which ones she likes and so far the only ones she will take are the Dr. Brown.

Making progress....

** We have been so blessed not to have any major issues or set backs with each one of the babies, the progress has just been slow and steady =) Lately with Stella being home I have been a little more impatient wanting them to be home now too! The boys ARE making progress and I know that Gods timing is different than mine and it is BETTER! So until then we focus on the progress that they are making...SO....


Jace- Gained weight again now weighing 4lbs 9oz! He is off his diuretics so were praying that they did what they were supposed to do and that his lungs will continue to improve! He is still getting 40ml of breast milk and 24 calories of the fortifier. He is still on 1/16th of oxygen and the nurses said he did so good with his feeding tonight while it was on she decided to take it off afterwards and he lasted for a while then started to dip, she said hes not quite ready to take it off yet, compared to the beginning of this week when we couldnt even put the bottle next to his mouth without having desats hes making HUGE progress!!!

Liam-Also gained weight and now weighs 5lbs 9oz! He is soon going to be bigger than his little sister! I dont know how much she weighs? How do you weigh a baby? I guess I will wait till her next Dr. appt. Liam is still on 1/4th of oxygen and they are trying to wean him off. Hes drinking 46ml of breast milk and 24 calories of fortifier.

Stella- She is still being a good girl for Mommy and Daddy, she is eating more and more every day! We are having so much fun with her being home, cant even imagine with all three! =)

God Bless everyone, have a great weekend!

October 21st

Jace- Gained weight and now weighs 4lbs 8oz. He is still on the oxygen 1/4th of a liter. Hes still getting the 40ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He is doing well just need to wean him off the oxygen and keep gaining weight! Hes still on diuretics for his lungs which seem to be clearing up, caffeine to remind him to breath, and reglan  for his acid reflux. So he also needs to be weaned off the meds....

Liam- Gained also and now weighs 5lbs 7oz. He got put back on the oxygen the same amount as his brother 1/14th of a liter. They say sometimes with identical twins they pick up eachothers bad habits so were hoping that this isnt the case, lol It is easier to put them on the oxygen rather than putting them back on the caffeine cause the cannula you can take on and off. He is still drinking 46ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He is getting really good and drinking from the bottles also.

Stella- She is doing great at home! She is eating great, sleeping great, so were praying that this all continues =) She is so sweet we love her so much! Here is a picture of Rick and Stella having some quality time  ;)

October 20th...Off the pump!

***Both boys were able to get there feedings off of the pump today! So now they are bottle feeding every other time or trying to breast feed. They are progressing so fast and doing so well!

Jace- He gained weight today and now weighs 4lbs 6oz. He is still drinking 40ml and 24 calories of fortifier. Hes still on 1/4th liter of oxygen but while I was breast feeding him and feeding him the bottle tonight he didnt have any episodes where he had shallow breathing or where he forgot to breath or periodic breathing he stayed at 100% the whole time! That is huge improvement just from a couple days ago! Thank God!

Liam- He also gained weight he now weighs 5lbs 6oz! Hes catching up to Stella now =) Liam is still on room air and using the cannula while he drinks a bottle but he doesnt need it while he breast feeds. He is getting 46ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He is starting to look SO much like his little sister since he has been gaining weight!

Stella- Had a great day, she is learning to eat very well! We came home today to Pixley and did some laundry and then came back to the motorhome with Grandma Lori and Auntie Bre and Grandma Lori babysat for the first time tonight while we went to visit the boys...

Tuesday October 19th Thank you Lord!

*** Every day in the hospital there has been little and big things to praise God for, we believe that he is in complete control of our lives and especially our little ones, he has given them to us and chosen us to be there parents but they are ultimately His, I have found so much peace knowing this during the last weeks and months.

Jace- Jace had another ultrasound yesterday and the results that came back were awesome! The bleeding he had in the left side of his brain is completely gone and the bleeding on the right side has gotten better and better with every ultrasound! The ventricles that looked larger in one ultrasound are now smaller! For this we prasie God! Lost 60 grams and weighs 4lbs 5oz, hopefully he will gain this plus more back tomorrow night =) Both boys lost last night and the nurse said it was probably because they have been trying to bottle feed them both which burns a lot of calories. He is still taking 40 ml of milk with 24 calories of food on a pump for over an hour. They want to wait to increase his feedings to make sure hes going to tolerate them, he still spits up every once in a while so they want to do it slowly. Hes still on oxygen the same 1/4th-1/8th of a liter. Please pray that Jace would continue to gain weight and that his lungs would mature fast so he can come home! He has came so far and is doing SO good, we love him so much! =)  Here is a picture of him from today...

Liam- Is still on room air and doing great....He also lost weight 30 grams so now he weighs 5lbs 3oz again...Hes also doing great breast feeding, we breast fed for two feedings today in a row another reason why he might of lost some weight. Liams feeds went up to 46 grams still getting the 24 calories of fortifier on a pump for over an hour also. Liam has come so far also and we are so proud of him too! We pray and ask for prayer also for his lungs to also to continue to mature because that is the main thing keeping him in the hospital he meets all the other requirements of coming home other than that which is a huge one! Here is a picture of Liam from today...

and here are some pictures of both of them together! =) 

Mommy and Daddys little monkeys =) 

Poor Liam always gets picked on by his older brother 

Stella- Is doing great at home! She loved to eat in the hospital when it was going right down her tube and she didnt have to work at it now were not too sure she loves to eat since she has to work at it! lol For the most part she has done great with feeding its just frustrating sometimes when its time for her to eat and she doesnt want to, this last feeding she only drank 20ml and so I waited till the next feeding and she drank 60ml!  She loves to cuddle with Mommy and Daddy and is loving her quality time she is getting being the only child =) No specific prayer request for Stella, other than continue to eat well and stay on her schedule so that when we bring her brothers home it will be easier! Here are some recent pictures of her...

going to her first Dr. appt. (she wouldnt stop making faces to get a picture, lol) 

she loves her bouncer!

Monday the 18th...

***Today we took Stella to her first pediatrician appointment. It was the first time taking Stella anywhere but home! It was so wierd to go in public and only have one baby, knowing that half our family was missing...after the Drs we came back to the motor home and Rick went to visit the boys and Stella and I stayed here, then Rick came back to the motor home and we switched...The boys are doing good the Dr. said its just a matter of time till there little lungs get stronger and stronger...

Jace- Gained a ounce and a half and now weighs 4lbs 7oz! He practiced again today with the bottle and is doing better and better...they still have to turn his oxygen up while he eats and if they try to feed him cause his lungs are still growing...Hes still on 1/16th-1/4th liter of oxygen and his feedings are still put on a pump for over a hour. Hes still getting the 40ml of food and the 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Also gained about a ounce and a half and now weighs 5lbs 5oz...Hes eating 44ml of food still on a pump over a hour with the 24 calories of fortifier. Hes still on room air doing great! Today Liam breast fed for about 40 minutes!

Stella- Today Stella had her first Drs appointment. The Dr. couldnt believe how good she looked for being so young and tiny, she said her color looked great and everything! She weighed 5lbs 10oz and was a little over 18 inches long. It is so weird not to have her weighed every night like the boys still. Stella watched a movie tonight with Mommy and Daddy and is being such a good girl!

**I am trying to upload pictures and its not letting me so I might have to do it later...God Bless everyone!

Sunday the 17th

Sorry the post is late were still trying to adjust with a baby home =) Here is a quick update with whats going on:

Jace- Is still on 1/16th-1/4th of oxygen. He gained 36 grams and now weighs 4lbs 5.8oz. His feeds are still 40ml and put on a pump for an hour. They fed him the bottle today for the first time and he took 27ml! Hes also still getting the 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Is back on room air doing great! He is 5lbs 3oz up 67ml from last night. Hes still drinking 44ml of food with the 24 calories of fortifier also put on a pump over a hour to digest better. Hes doing better and better with the bottle, its just a matter of time now till the boys can come home, I ask every nurse about how long do they think till they can come home and they all say well its up to them it can be a week or it can be 3? So were praying for 1!

Stella- She did great again in the motorhome, shes doing everything she needs to be doing, tonight was a lot easier than last! She stayed in the motorhome with Rick while I went to the hospital to visit the boys. I fed them one of there feedings and then came home and Rick went to the hospital while I stayed at the motorhome. We gave her a bath so she would be nice and clean for her first Drs appointment with her pediatrician.

October 16th Our 2nd night home with Stella...

Stella- Last night was a lot easier than the night before! Stella has started to drink the bottle a lot more consistently so I think that helped her sleep better, I also got big burps out of her so she probably felt way better! Dad stayed with Stella from 11am to 5pm while I was at the hospital with the boys...She is adjusting nicely! =)

Liam- He had to go back on the oxygen yesterday 2.0 liters @ 21-23% He kept having issues breathing yesterday which they said is normal for preemies so they are trying to wean him back off of it. He came off his caffeine and sometimes they have to remember again for themselves how to breathe without the caffeine reminding them. Liam gained  24 grams weighing 5lbs 1oz. Liam gets 44ml of milk with 24 calories of fortifier.

Jace- Is still on the oxygen 1/4- 1/8th of liter doing really well...they are also trying to wean him off of the oxygen...He gained 14grams and now weighs 4lbs 5oz. Jace is drinking 40ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier.

**Both boys are practicing feeding through the bottle getting better and better, we were in a room that held 3 babies so we had our own room for the past couple of weeks and were spoiled. Yesterday I walked in and there was another baby there that likes to cry REALLY loud all day! =)

Yesterday 10-15-10 Stella comes home!!!

***Today was one of the best days of our life! We got to bring our precious little angel home from the hospital after being in the NICU for 7 weeks and 1 day! She is being a great example for her older brothers and we cant wait for them to join us!!! The Doctors asked us yesterday if we would be ready to take her home within the next couple of days and of course we said yes!...we didnt think it would get to be the next day! So we went in to the hospital like every other day and they met us at our room with huge smiles and said SO are you ready? I teared up and said for what (I knew what they meant, lol) and they said to bring Stella home!? I said of course I am nervous and scared but I am going to be like that if we bring her home today or next week, haha so they talked with the nurses did her hearing test, discharge papers, etc and we left the hospital at 5:30pm, it was SO unreal to walk out of there with our daughter who is 7 weeks old and has never even been outside, at the same time I felt so bad leaving our boys there even though I know they still need to get better and thats the best place for them...I thought shes not going to want to leave her brothers and there not going to want her to go (I think shes liking all the attention to be honest, lol) and they have each other I keep telling myself ;) ....so then the interesting part comes, we get home, feed her, change her, gave her a bath, prayed over her cause of course we didnt think we were going to be able to take our eyes off her...and put her to bed, we thought we were the best parents and I told Rick this is SO easy! One baby is SO easy! lol Then as were laying there and all of a sudden we hear grunting, moaning, little baby noises that were so cute in the hospital but not so cute while your trying to fall asleep! lol This lasted the majority of the night, Rick fell asleep and I did her feedings throughout the night and then after her 2am feeding Rick said he would do the next couple and let me sleep...so I woke up this morning with Stella in her swing in the living room and Rick laying on the floor next to her with a blanket on sleeping, lol He is such a great Dad! I knew he would be but he really is way better than I even thought he would be! So anyways right now were running on about 3 hours of sleep (I know this is normal for new Moms and Dads) but until you go through it you dont understand...So today Rick is going to stay home with Stella and I am going to go to the hospital to visit with the boys...

Here is the update on the babies:

Jace- He gained 7 grams and still weighs 4lbs 4oz. His feedings got raised to 40ml and 24 calories of fortifier. Hes still on 1/4th -1/8th liter of oxygen @ 21%...Hes a little fighter we all think he will be the biggest of them all one day =)

Liam- He gained a lot last night and weighs 5lbs now! Hes still on room air and is getting 44ml of food now with the 24 calories of fortifier.

Stella- Is adjusting to being home with it being dark at night and no noises...We think shes used to the hospital where the lights were on majority of the day and there were always people coming in and out...She doesnt get weighed daily but we have our first appoinment with the pediatrician on Monday morning at 9am, so this will be interesting getting me and Stella out of the house by that time since its usually hard for just me to get out of the house by that time! lol She did alright eating throughout the night and this morning did good, we have to add 22 calorie formula to my breast milk,  I am hoping that she doesnt eat that much during the night cause she likes to sleep and will be doing that soon through the night! =)

7 weeks old! October 14th

Jace- Is doing great! He is on 1/8th of a liter of oxygen and when he eats they turn it up to 1/4th...he is getting there. They have his feeds on a pump over 45 mintues now instead of a hour and a half! He gained weight last night 45grams and now weighs 4lbs 4oz! Hes still getting 38ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Is still on room air doing great as well, I think tomorrow they were talking about cutting his caffeine again to see how he would do. He is doing great breast feeding so were trying to work also on the bottle feeding so we can take the the tube out of his nose as well! He gained last night 7 grams and now weighs 4lbs 14oz. Hes still on the 42ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. If he doesnt breast feed or take the bottle his feeds are still on the pump also over 45 minutes.

Stella- Is doing great bottle feeding...shes not getting the 50ml every time she eats but shes getting enough to give her all the nutrition she needs. She was gaining like 30-40+ grams every night and today she gained only a couple grams eating what she could with the bottle at every feeding...She is meeting all the other requirements of coming home so we will see maybe within the next couple of days!?  =)
Here is a picture of Daddy practicing for when Stella comes home ;)

October 13th Stella is tube free!!!

***Today I walked in and the nurse tells me, "notice anything different?" and I look at Stella and she has NO feeding tube in her nose! They took it out and were just going to bottle feed her every time whatever she would take, they werent putting a limit on her food like before when she had to eat so much. So if she can get the bottle feeding down she will come home within the next week or so!

Jace- Is down to 1/4 of oxygen @21% hes getting there slowly but surely! =) Hes still at 38ml of food 24 calories of fortifier and they changed his food from being on a pump for an hour and a half down to one hour, so hes making progress there also! He gained last night 45 grams so now he weighs 4lbs 2oz! We also tried breast feeding today with Jace for the first time! He did really good for his first time, wasnt quite sure what was going on though, it was so cute! lol

Liam- He is still on room air and drinking 42ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier. He breast fed like a champ again today! He also gained 65 grams so now he weighs 4lbs 13oz!

Stella- Lost weight today for the first time in weeks! With getting the feeding tube out she drank what she wanted to drink from the bottle at every feeding. Her first feeding of the day she drank the whole 50ml then he next was 40ml, and then 25ml, Dad came and fed her and she drank about 40ml again...she also tried breast feeding but I think she was so tired from taking the bottle the whole day she didnt want anything to do with it, she worked so hard today she lost 7grams and still weighs 5lbs 11oz. So we will see if she can leave the tube out and keep drinking from the bottle or if she just gets too tired and still needs it for a little while longer? I called tonight to see how the babies were doing and the nurse was feeding her again and all I could hear was grunting and moaning, she sounded like she was really annoyed! lol She is so funny!

October 12th ANOTHER milestone met!

***Today was exciting because when I came in the room Jace had joined the open crib with his brother and sister and I got the cutest pictures! Well I guess I think there cute, lol He held his temperature completely fine the whole day and is doing great in it!

Jace- Other than joining the open crib with Stella and Liam Jace gained 26grams and now weighs 4lbs 1oz.  He is back on his cannula after being off for 24 hours. He was dipping pretty low while eating so they decided to just put him on 1% at 21% which is barely anything but just enough to help him remember to keep breathing. For him to be on this low of oxygen is amazing from where he startred so we will take that! Hes still at 38ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Is still on room air even though he has been copying his brother during his feeds and forgetting to breath. He lost 20grams and now weighs 4lbs 11oz. Hes drinking 42ml of milk now and 24 calories of fortifier. He breast fed today for 20 minutes and did SO good!

Stella- She is still on room air. Growing like a weed she gained another 45 grams and now weighs 5lbs 11oz. Shes getting 50ml of milk and 24 calories of the fortifier. She took one whole bottle today for Mom and was done for the day...the Dr. wants to pull the feeding cord and see what she does, we all think shes getting a little lazy and likes all those ml's going right into her tummy! lol

October 11th just another day in the NICU =)

Jace-Today was another exciting day, the Dr. wants to see Jace get off the oxygen so the nurses are really pushing him.... He was doing really good on the 1% of oxygen at 21% which is room air so they decided at  2:15pm to take him off of it for his feeding and see how he would do, he did great! (Mommy was holding his hand the whole time he ate ;) ) the whole day we were there he did a really good job, I called tonight and they said hes doing really well they might just have to put it on him for his feedings? So were praying that he can keep it off and that he wont need it for his feedings but if it means its easier for him to breathe then we will take whatever! He gained 5 grams today so hes still at 4lbs even. Hes still drinking the 38ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier and didnt have any spit ups today!

Liam- Is still on room air, today was his first day back on caffeine since he was having some breathing issues while he was eating. He gained weight also 7grams so he still weighs 4lbs 12oz.  Hes drinking 40ml of food with the 24 calories of fortifier.

Stella- Is still on room air, she gained again and weighs 5lbs 10oz! Shes drinking 50ml of milk and getting also the 24 calories of fortifier.

YAY for Jace!!! 10-10-10

Jace- He was off the cannula but because he drops so low during feedings they decided to put him on 1 liter of oxygen which is barely anything and at 21%, its just enough to help him not dip while hes eating so he will be on that for now till they can wean him off of it...He gained weight last night and is finally to 4lbs even!!! Hopefully he doesnt lose tomorrow then he will be back under lol...he is trying so hard and we are SO proud of him! =) They raised his feedings finally today to 38ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier and he did really good and didnt throw up one time  today! We are praying for more days like today!

Liam- He is off his caffeine and has started to also dip during his feedings so they put him back on the caffeine. The nurse told me a lot of times with identical twins they tend to pick up there siblings bad habits...I was like oh great! lol He gained weight and now weighs 4lbs 12oz. Hes drinking 38ml of milk and the 24 calories of fortifier. They put his food also on a pump over a hour so that will help with his throwing up and the desats he was having during his feeds. Both the boys have acid reflux which is one of the main reasons they throw up. The nurse told me that Liam has the desire to bottle feed he just doesnt know how yet, he will get there!

Stella- She is also still on room air, hasnt had any spells or breathing issues...she also gained and now weighs 5lbs 8oz! Shes drinking 50ml of milk and tolerating all her feeds. Shes still getting the 24 calories of fortifier also. The nurse told me that Stella has the know how of bottle feeding and breast feeding she just doesnt have the desire unlike Liam, lol. She is getting a little lazy and likes to be fed through her tube, I think shes waiting for her brothers to catch up so she doesnt have to leave them in the hospital by themselves ;) She is a night baby because all her bottles she has taken have been in the night...she will get it eventually it will also just take time...

**New pictures will come soon...thanks for reading the blog and especially for all the prayers!!!
Love Rick and Sheryl

Say goodbye to the oxygen!? OCTOBER 9th

Jace has been on oxygen since he was born and has gone up and down on the amount that he has needed for a while. He has been at 4.0 liters for a while which is how fast that it flows and between 30-35% of oxygen that is actually running through the tube, 21% is room air so you cant get any lower than that.  So for him to go from 4.0 liters one day to nothing the next is crazy! They took the cannula off of him yesterday for a while and noticed that he still has Desats when he eats, his oxygn level gets low and they have to turn the machine up to help him recover... so what there doing now is giving him the nasal cannula only while he eats and taking it off in between, hopefully it wont be long till its gone for good when he can recover himself and not need extra oxygen! He lost 5 grams and is still 3lbs 14oz, the nurse said this is normal and hopefully he will have a big gain soon maybe tonight! Hes still at 36ml of food and only threw up one time today so hopefully they will rasie his feeds if he continues not to throw up, they have his food moving through a pump that takes an hour and a half to go through so it can digest in his stomach better and he can keep more of the milk down and get more nutrition. Hes also still at 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam is still on room air. He gained and weighs 4lbs 10oz. His feeds are up to 40ml and 24 calories of fortifier. He is doing really good and just keeps getting bigger!

Stella keeps getting bigger also, she gained 3 oz and weighs 5lbs 6oz! Shes at 50ml of milk and the 24 calories of fortifier so now wonder she keeps gaining weight she is tolerating her feeds well so they keep raising them!

Octdober 7th...Flu Season! =(

***Flu season is approaching and for the babies in the NICU whooping cough and RSV season which is a lot more dangerous for them than for us! The Drs. recommended today that since were starting out in this season that immediate family only be allowed in the babies room...

The babies are all making progress, Jace is on a plateau right now and cant seem to catch up with his brother and sister with his weight, the nurse said this is normal and he will catch up. They all seem to be doing what they should be doing at this stage in there life! =)

Jace- Yesterday we found Jace doing amazing with his breathing and looked in the incubator and the cannula wasnt even in his nose! So the nurse is like well lets leave it like that and see how long he lasts, he did that for over 15 minutes! They said maybe its being more of a nuisance than a help? So they turned him down from 4.0 liters at like 30-35% to 2.0 liters at like 21-25% which is a HUGE difference and he has been doing great for the whole day! Praise God! 2.0 liters is barely anything and 21% is room air! We are so grateful and pray he can keep this up! He lost 20grams today and is back down to 3lbs 14oz, he will get over the hump! lol Hes still at 36ml of food and 24 calories of fortifer, hes been at this since last saturday, part of the reason why he hasnt gained much weight, he has acid reflux pretty bad so he throws up a lot which doesnt help either poor guy =(

(this is the best picture I could get of him today) I will do better next time =)

Liam- He is still on room air doing great, they took him off his caffeine which helps him to remember to breath so our prayer for him is that he does as good breathing without the caffeine as hes doing now on it...they have to be off the caffeine for at least 5 days before they can go home...He gained 30 grams and now weighs 4lbs 7oz. Hes eating 40ml of milk with still the 24 calories of fortifier. Every day he gets better drinking out of the bottle or trying to breast feed, his coordination skills are maturing day by day.

Stella- She is also on room air doing great, she gained about 30grams and weighs 5lbs 3oz now. She is eating 50ml of milk and the 24 calories of fortifier still. I fed her a bottle today and she drank the whole thing, were trying to feed her the bottle every other time now...she gets really tired from trying so hard so they dont like to push them...all of a sudden they say she will get it and start drinking the bottle every time...once she does that for a couple of days she can come home!

 (I was going trying to get a picture of her and her cute little outfit, I was even going to try to put a bow on her but as you can tell she was annoyed, lol so I decided to leave her alone and get what I could =))

October 7th 6 weeks old!

Today the babies are 6 weeks old! Its crazy how fast time has gone by!  At this point I feel like the babies will be here forever, like this is just how my life is going to be, wake up go visit babies, pump, hold babies, pump, try breast feeding, pump, eat lunch, pump, hold some more babies, pump, etc! lol Its hard to believe that they will be coming home soon and our lives are at home are going to begin! Its scary and at the same time exciting!!!

The babies are all doing good and moving in the right direction:

Jace was on 3.0 liters of oxygen when I called tonight at 23% which is amazing compared to what he has been at! What he will be on in the morning who knows? Were praying it can stay this way and eventually lead to getting off soon! He gained some weight tonight so he now weighs 3lbs 15oz, soon he will get over to that 4lbs he has tried so hard to reach! =) Hes still at the 36ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier, the diuretics were causing his sodium levels to be low so they added some of that to his diet, he has acid reflux so they started putting his food on a pump that allows this food to slowly be digested within an hour so that he can keep it down and hopefully its not too painful for him, he hasnt thrown up yet so there hoping that worked and they can keep food down him so he can keep growing!

Liam gained weight also he now weighs 4lbs 6oz. Hes drinking 38ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. We tried breast feeding again and he is still learning, it will come to him in time. He drank 10ml of milk from the bottle tonight so that was good...the nurses said all of a sudden a light bulb comes on and they get it!

Stella gained and is now 5lbs 2oz. She is getting 46ml of milk and the 24 calories of fortifier. If she can learn to take the bottle she will be coming home soon, thats the main thing holding her back!

Thanks for checking out the blog and thanks again for all the prayers!!! They mean so much to us!

2 down 1 to go! October 6th

This morning when Rick and I walked in Liam was now in the open crib with Stella! He kept his temperature in the open crib the whole day! Hopefully within the next day or two Jace can join in! When I called tonight to see how they were doing and to get there weights for the day Stella had just threw up all over Liam! lol its not funny poor Liam, he got poked in the face by his brother when they shared the incubator now he goes in the crib with his sister and gets thrown up all over =( I guess thats what happens when your the middle child =) Here are all the babies updates for today....

Jace was on 4.0 liters at 32% he had a really good day I felt like with his breathing...He gained another 10 grams little by little he will catch up so he is still 3lbs 13oz. Hes still taking the 36ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam is still on room air. He gained another 40oz weighing 4lbs 5oz. Still drinking the 38ml and 24 calories of fortifier and in the open crib with his sister now! =)

Stella is still on room air. She gained 108 grams, weighing 5 pounds even! She is still drinking the 46ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier, not sure if this has anything to do with her being bigger or maybe that she is a girl and more mature but she has started to let us know about 15 minutes before her feeding time that shes hungry! haha

Here are some pictures of the boys co-bedding yesterday...

Here is Stella...

and here is Liam and Stella co-bedding, now you can see why when Stella threw up it went all over Liam! lol 

Praise God for 2 steps forward! October 5th...

"2 steps forward and 1 step back" Those are the infamous words that every nurse in the NICU tells me, even though I know to expect that when there is a step back I still pray for only steps forward =)

Jace had another head ultrasound 2 days ago and the Dr. came to me yesterday and said he was very happy with the results! There was grade 2 bleeding in the left and right side of his brain, sometimes it goes away and sometimes it can get worse. In the ultrasound the left side the bleeding had completely dissolved! The right side initially had more blood and looks a lot better and is continuing to dissolve! The ventricles looks the same which is good they didnt get any bigger, they said when all the blood dissolves the ventricles will probably shrink then, but that it looks really mild and they didnt seem to be concerned, there going to do another ultrasound in a couple of weeks he said before he goes home and we will keep praying that it all goes away!  We have been praying consistently and know so many family and friends that have been too! We know that with God ALL things are possible and he has been SO FAITHFUL and are so thankful for His grace and mercy always!!!! So today Jace gained 10 grams so he is still 3lbs 13 oz. He was on 4.0 liters of oxygen at about 30-40% The diuretics can take a couple of days to kick in so were hoping that helps with his oxygen soon! Hes still on 36ml of milk 24 calories of fortifier.


Liam is doing really well, he gained 161 grams today!  They weighed him 4 times to be sure...So he is now 4lbs 6oz! =) He is still on room air and we tried breast feeding today and he did good for his first time. Hes still drinking 38ml of food with the 24 calories of fortifier. Because he is keeping his tempature up and is over 4lbs they put him in the open crib tonight with Stella! I feel bad for Jace though who is by himself now =( SO hopefully he can catch up soon and get in there with them!

Stella lost 10grams so she is 4lbs 12oz. She is still on room air and is getting 46ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier. She breast fed today for one whole hour for one of her feedings! Shes getting it it just has to be her timing, shes a little stubborn =)

Bath Time!!!

Today was so fun, when I got to the hospital the nurse had a little bath tub set up so I could give all the babies there first bath! they were being sponge bathed before this...the whole process from getting them out of there incubators, bathing them, drying them, and then changing all there bedding and clothes took 2 hours! lol I am hoping at home with the bath tub I have it will be a lot easier and take a lot less time! Otherwise they may have to take turns getting baths every third day lol j/k Here is a couple pictures from there bath time...The first picture is of Liam and the 2nd is of Stella, I think they look SO much a like! I have Jace on video I didnt get a picture for some reason...

 Liam

Stella

Here is the update with all the kiddos:

Jace was at 3.0 liters and 28% oxygen, he was down from yesterday so we dont know if the diuretics are working or if he is just getting better as hes getting older? Whatever the reason is we thank God for the progress! Hes still getting the 36ml of breast milk and the 24 calories of fortifier. He lost 65 grams today so he is back to weighing 3lbs 13oz. He had another ultrasound today to follow up on his ventricles and the grade 2 bleeding in his brain and the bleeding is continuing to resolve, which is awesome! and the ventricles are still the same, so we just continue to pray that they stay the same or get smaller! We were going to put Liam in the open crib with Stella last night but he could never fully keep his temperature up so they decided to put him and Jace together in the same incubator until one of them can go in with Stella in the open crib or both of them...It was the cutest thing ever, here is a pic!

Liam is still on room air. He went up to 38ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier. Later in the day after the bath and sharing a incubator with Jace I got to do skin to skin with both of the boys. Liam lost 40grams and now weighs 3lbs 15oz. I put Liams diaper on too loose so the pee came out of his diaper so we had to change him already, lol here is a picture of him in his onesie. Jace had to wear warmer clothes with a extra blanket and because Liam is almost ready to go in a open crib he was fine just wearing a onesie and a blanket over him and both of there temps stayed good that way....

Stella is still on room air. She gained 50grams so she now weighs 4lbs 13oz! She is drinking 46ml of milk still with the 24 calories of fortifier. We tried breast feeding again today and she just wanted to fall asleep, so we tried the bottle and she drank a little but still just wanted to fall asleep, lol so we still have to learn to do that before we can go home...Here is a picture of her after her bath today in her crib...

October 3rd, should have checked the weather!

So I got up this morning and went outside and my car was wet and so was everything else, I couldnt believe that it had rained! So I have a car wash right next to the motor home so I thought well I will just go get it washed that must have been a fluke it rained! Right now I am thinking that I hear rain drops or maybe some lighting so I looked up the weather and there are huge thunder marks for Sunday and rain clouds for Monday, I am SO mad I got my car washed cause right now its pouring, there is thunder and lightning!!! I dont know if it sounds worse cause I am in the motor home but its bad!

Ok sorry I had to share...
Jace was at 2.5 liters anywhere from 30-35% of oxygen. They were giving him diuretics tonight to try to get rid of the haziness in his lungs which will help him get off his oxygen. He went up again his weight today and now weighs 3lbs 15oz! Hes drinking 36ml of food with still the 24 calories of fortifier. We got to do skin to skin today again with me and Liam, it is SO cute to see them together and then you can see how they really are identical, even though you know they are identical it is still so crazy to see...God is SO good and amazing how he creates each of us so unique and then to have 2 little babies that look exactly the same is crazy!

Liam is still on room air doing well! Hes also drinking 36ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier. He also gained today but only 10grams so he is still 4lbs. They were going to try to put him also in a open crib like Stella tonight if he is able to keep his temperature up, they were going to put him and Stella in the same crib, so in the morning I will see if they did that or not, when I called tonight they still hadnt done it cause his temp was a little low. Here is a pictures of Liam I got in a little outfit, they started dressing both the boys too now!

Stella is still on room air also. She wasnt weighed when I called tonight so I will have to wait till tomorrow to get her weight. Shes drinking 44ml of milk also with the 24 calories of fortifier. I held her for a long time today and tried breast feeding a couple of times and she just wouldnt have it, she wanted to sleep the whole time, then I tried bottle feeding her and she drank like 10ml then pinches her lips closed like sorry I dont want to do that...she has to know how to bottle feed before she can come home so she must want to wait for her brothers. ;) I was so excited the boys had clothes on I forgot to take a pitcute of Stella today so I will get lots tomorrow! 

Thanks again everyone for the continued prayers! 

Gaining weight!

The boys are catching up to Stella! Not quite but they are trying! lol 

Jace is 3lbs 13oz, he gained 60grams! Hes still on oxygen 2.5 liters at 30-35% I got to hold both the boys together again and I am going to ask if there is a way we can add Stella to the mix, its hard to get all the wires to stretch that far for there monitors so we will see...Hes at 36ml of food and still the 24 calories of fortifier.( I know it might be annoying I always tell you that because your probably thinking ok Sheryl seriously we dont care anymore about the fortifier or the calories, lol) Here is a bad picture of Jace but its all I have today, the glare from the camera made all the pictures bad...

Liam is 4lbs! I forgot to get how many grams he went up probably I heard 4lbs and didnt care about anything else! =) Hes still on room air getting used to that doing pretty well. Hes also at 36ml of milk with the 24 calories of fortifier.  Here is a picture of Liam it didnt turn out to good...

Stella has gone up 3oz! Even after her 3 poopy diapers weighing 4lbs 10oz! Its way easier to take pictures of her cause shes right by the window with light and shes in the open crib so she doesnt get any of the glare from the camera...Shes still on room air doing great. Shes at 44ml of food @ 24 calories. We tried breast feeding again today and she didnt do as well as yesterday...she just pinches her mouth together like no not today sorry I am too lazy and will just have it fed right to me please! lol My little brother came to visit also with his girlfriend Erika for the weekend, here are some pictures...They held Stellas diaper and we thought for sure that she wasnt going to gain weight cause she went through 3 poopy diapers before she was done going to the bathroom! lol 

getting closer....pray pray pray!

Today was a great day! Babies are making progress more and more! Just in this past week they have made huge progress!

Jace was on 2.5 liters of oxygen @ 25-30% when I left today, hes making a lot of progress with his lungs! We are praying he keeps going in this direction. He stayed the same as yesterday with his weight so he is 3lbs 11oz. His feeds went up to 34ml and still the 24 calories of fortifier. Jace got to do skin to skin with Mom while she held Liam at the same time.

Liam is still on room air doing great! He is big enough now where they turned the temp control off in his incubator and if he does good they will put him in the open crib with Stella soon! He gained 20 grams so he is now 3lbs 13oz. He was going to town on his pacifier so they decided to try to bottle feed him and he drank 5ml...hes not quite ready but its a start!

Stella is still on room air and if she can get this whole bottle feeding down she can come home! The Dr. came in yesterday and said you ready to take her home? and I was like NO!!! LOL I got used to this whole NICU thing finally and now I have to take them home??? lol...I am scared!!!! Shes still so tiny, she just choked on her food 3 days ago, what if she does that at home!? She is drinking most of her bottles but shes stubborn if she doesnt want to drink it she wont. She breast fed for reals for the first time for a half hour her whole meal! It was so fun! She also did skin to skin with Mom afterwards. Shes drinking 44ml of food when she is bottle fed or when they put it in her tube and still getting the 24 calories of food. She gained 10grams weighing 4lbs 6.6oz.

I talked to the nurse tonight and she was the same nurse as 5 nights ago and she told me she couldnt believe the progress, she said there all of a sudden getting it, =) they have a ways to go and even if Stella comes home I am going to have to really trust God not to worry, the nurse thinks they will for sure be home before Halloween and that scares me now that its actually getting closer! I am SOO excited, and I am SOOO thankful for everyones prayers during this time, please pray they keep making progress and going in the right direction! Once again I am leaning on God for complete peace and guidance for what is ahead! =) He is SO good and SO faithful in all he does!!!

34 weeks!!!

Today the babies are 34 weeks! For being so little yet they are doing SO good!

Jace is down to 3.0 liters of oxygen @ 25-30%, they are challenging him and trying to go down and he is doing pretty good. Hes at 32ml of food and still the 24 calories of fortifier. He gained 20grams and weighs 3lbs 110z now!

Liam is still on room air doing pretty good. He is also at 32ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He gained 25 grams weighing 3lbs 12oz! I got to do skin to skin with both boys together today and it was the cutest thing ever! The whole time there heart rates, there oxygen levels and everything were the same, if one forgot to breathe the other one did too, it was funny to watch....Here is a picture =)

Stella is still on room air and coming off her caffeine getting used to breathing all on her own. She is in her big girl crib now (never thought that day would happen!) keeping her own temperature and even drinking her bottle every other feeding! The nurses bet she will be the first to come home, her brothers are catching up with her though! =) She is at 41ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. She lost 10grams weighing 3lbs 6oz still, she might lose a little in the next couple of days since she switched to the open crib and is off all the caffeine since she is working so hard to do it all on her own but we will see? I got to feed Stella one of her feedings and held her for a long time today, tomorrow we will do skin to skin...here is a picture of her in her crib now! (these pictures are from my cell so there a little blurry)